Estimation of Nutritional Profiling and Trait Association Analysis of Diverse Indian Kodo Millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum) Genotypes
Abstract
Background: Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.) is an important small millet recognized for its nutritional richness, tolerance to changing climatic conditions and suitability for cultivation on low-fertility or marginal lands agricultural conditions. Most of the studies largely emphasized on the general nutritional composition and health benefits of millets, while comparative evaluations integrating biochemical characterization with multidimensional statistical approaches through method including principal component analysis (PCA), correlation analysis and hierarchical cluster-based analysis are still scarce. Methods: The present study was conducted during the Kharif cropping season of 2022-2025 at Department of Botany and Research field of Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. The experimental material comprised eleven genotypes of Kodo millet grown in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) comprising three replications for the evaluation of nutritional composition, identify superior genotypes and assess the relationships among nutritional traits using multidimensional statistical analyses. Result: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed statistically significant differences among the kodo millet genotypes for all nutritional traits, indicating the existence of wide genetic variability that can be effectively utilized in crop improvement and breeding programmes. Protein content ranged from 7.8-10.4 g/100 g, carbohydrates from 57.5-64.4 g/100 g, fat from 1.8-3.15 g/100 g, ash content from 2.70-3.45 g/100 g and iron from 0.58-1.20 mg/100 g. Among the studied varieties, RK250-90 exhibited comparatively higher protein and mineral content, indicating superior nutritional potential. Principal component analysis (PCA), correlation analysis, heat map and cluster analysis further confirmed nutritional diversity and relationships among traits. The positive association between protein and mineral content highlights the possibility of simultaneous improvement of nutritional parameters through breeding strategies. The findings identified genotype (RK250-90) as a promising genetic resource for biofortification and breeding programmes aimed at improving the nutritional quality of Kodo millet.